Sixty one percent of NFL players expressed dissatisfaction with the way commissioner Rogel Goodell runs the league.

A poll conducted by USA Today Sports on 300 players on active roster and practice squads from Dec. 19 to Jan. 12 revealed that 61 percent of them disapprove of Goodell's performance.

The poll has a margin of error of plus- or minus-5 percent. Players were granted anonymity if they requested that their names not be made public.

For disgruntled players, some of the unpopular decisions made by Goodell are the increase in fines for hits on defenseless players and the commissioner's role in the league's investigation and discipline of the Saints for the team's bounty program.

Those who have given Goodell a thumbs-up cited his role in making the NFL the United States' most popular sport and the realization that being NFL commissioner is a thankless job.

"I continually try to focus on issues that benefit the NFL in the long term, including, and most especially, our players," Goodell said when asked by Reddit.com.

"I truly respect our players and get tremendous feedback from them. They help us make better decisions. I look forward to working more closely with them in the future," Goodell added.

In reaction to the survey, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said that Goodell "has tremendous respect for NFL players and always seeks their views" and "values their input tremendously in working to make the game better."

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who has been fined more than $100,000 in his career for hard hits, criticized Goodell's stand on fining players for illegal hits while pushing for adding games to the regular season.

"In the true interest of player safety, I would have no issue with it. But that's not what it's about. It's about money," Harrison added.